Today was an exceptionally special day for the Yunjin Sect, and the entire sect was permeated with a festive atmosphere. Li Lin, the successor disciple of Perfected Jingyuan of Dongyang Peak, possessed a Heavenly Fire Spiritual Root. Having formed his Golden Core in a mere sixty-two years, he had become the youngest Golden Core cultivator in the Mangyun Mountain cultivation world in five thousand years. His Daoist title was now Perfected Qinglin.
In the Yunjin Sect, the Daoist titles for Li Lin’s generation were centered on the character *Qing*. Since the character *Qing* (清) itself contains the water radical, the second character of the title was chosen with more flexibility. Li Xue was quite satisfied with the title "Qinglin." If they had followed the strict conventions of previous generations—searching for a pleasant-sounding character that specifically featured the water radical—it would have been quite difficult. Fortunately, both "Xue" (雪) and "Lin" (霖) contain the "rain" radical, which is inherently related to water, so the name did not sound half bad.
If others knew that Li Xue was agonizing over whether the title sounded "pretty" or not, they would surely roll their eyes. A Daoist title was bestowed by one's elders and represented a great honor; how could it be judged simply by its aesthetic appeal?
After Li Lin formed his core, Daoist Yuhong officially bestowed Chonghua Palace upon him. Within the Dongyang Palace lineage, the only other Golden Core cultivator of the *Qing* generation besides Li Lin was Yuan Yi, the eldest disciple of Perfected Jingliu, whose Daoist title was Perfected Qingyi. Daoist Yuhong had renamed a cave dwelling next to Liuhua Palace as Yihua Palace and bestowed it upon Perfected Qingyi. Originally, he had intended to rename Chonghua Palace to Linhua Palace, but Li Xue felt that "Chonghua" was perfectly fine and decided not to change it. Knowing Li Xue’s minor eccentricities, Daoist Yuhong let her have her way.
Li Xue was currently very busy. After Li Lin reached the Golden Core stage, all the social interactions and obligations were handed over to her, his mother. With Li Lin’s icy demeanor, it would be a miracle if he didn't scare the guests away.
Lin Fei, who was now a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, helped Li Xue significantly. Li Xue was truly not very skilled at these social maneuvers.
"Who are you? This is Perfected Qinglin’s residence, isn't it? I heard his mother was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment," a loud voice rang out at the entrance of Chonghua Palace.
Lin Fei replied politely, "Senior Sister, this is indeed Perfected Qinglin’s Chonghua Palace. Aunt Li is inside entertaining guests."
"And who are you?" the female cultivator asked condescendingly.
"My name is Lin Fei, from Lihua Palace. We are short-handed here, so I came over to help," Lin Fei explained with good temper.
"Hmph, just reached Foundation Establishment? Nothing special," the female cultivator said, looking Lin Fei up and down with disdain.
Lin Fei felt a surge of annoyance but did not let it show on her face. She simply maintained a quiet smile and asked, "May I ask how to address you, Senior Sister? What business brings you to Chonghua Palace?"
"I am Yun Mingli. I have come by my master's command to congratulate Senior Uncle Qinglin. Why haven't you let me in yet? How rude!" Yun Mingli snorted.
"Xiao Fei, what’s happening? Why all the noise?" Li Xue had heard the conversation from inside the hall long ago. So, this overbearing female cultivator was the one Yiyi had intended to introduce as a dual cultivation partner for Li Lin back then. How boorish!
"Aunt Li, I don't know where she came from either," Lin Fei replied obediently. Having grown up with Li Lin, she might not have learned much else, but she had certainly picked up a bit of his talent for putting on an act.
"You!" Yun Mingli pointed at Lin Fei in anger. "You actually dare to say you don't know? Listen well, I am Yun Mingli of the Yun family from Zhengyang Peak!"
"Oh, so you are a Senior Sister from Zhengyang Peak!" Lin Fei wore an expression that seemed to say, *Why didn't you say so earlier?*
Yun Mingli’s teeth itched with hatred, yet she found herself speechless. Li Xue gave a light chuckle and said, "Since you are here, come in."
Several groups of guests from various peaks were already seated in the hall, all watching the scene with interest. Although the matter of Daoist Yuhong rejecting the Yun family’s Golden Spiritual Root disciple had not been widely publicized, many meddlers knew about it. Everyone was secretly waiting for a good show.
Li Xue sneered inwardly. Watching a "good show" wouldn't be that easy. She stood up and said, "Thank you all for coming to congratulate Li Lin. I accept the well-wishes of all my fellow sisters and the elders of each peak on Li Lin’s behalf. Unluckily, Li Lin has entered seclusion to consolidate his realm. Furthermore, I have orders from my master to visit Master Yuhong. Everyone, please see yourselves out!"
As she spoke, Li Xue began to perform several hand seals to activate the restrictions of Chonghua Palace. Seeing this posture, the crowd realized they could no longer stay even if they wanted to. They could only leave dejectedly, including Yun Mingli, who cast a resentful glance at Li Xue and Lin Fei as she departed.
Li Xue didn't care what these people thought. Dealing with so many social obligations was annoying enough; if they wanted to watch a drama on top of that, there was no way she would let them. The sooner she cleared them out, the sooner she was done. She actually felt like thanking the rude Yun Mingli—if she had appeared earlier, Li Xue would have kicked everyone out sooner.
Once everyone had left, Li Xue and Lin Fei looked at each other and shared a knowing smile.
